Translated material
Nine month pass
Europe encouraged the leadership of Belarus
The European Union has suspended sanctions against senior Belarusian government officials for nine months. This decision was made yesterday by the EU External Relations Council. A statement from the European Commission's representative office in Belarus states that at the end of the term, the council "will conduct a comprehensive review of the restrictive measures, taking into account the situation in Belarus, and, subject to further positive steps, will be ready to consider the possibility of lifting the restrictive measures."This decision “allows us to maintain a pragmatic dialogue between Belarus and the European Union,” said Andrei Popov, press secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. Minsk is dissatisfied that the sanctions have not been lifted completely: “The time has long come for the complete lifting of any restrictions that impede the development of normal relations between Belarus and the EU.” However, a press release from the European Commission notes that “at any time, if necessary, the council may reinstate visa restrictions in the light of the actions of the Belarusian authorities in the field of democracy and human rights.”
But while the moratorium is in effect, representatives of official Minsk will be able to visit Europe and continue dialogue with European politicians. The suspension of sanctions will also allow Belarusian representatives to take part in the EU Prague summit scheduled for May 7, where the issue of Minsk’s participation in the Eastern Partnership program is to be decided. Such an invitation has not yet been made, but, as Belarusian political scientist Olga Abramova noted to Vremya Novostey, it “will come with a high degree of probability if nothing extraordinary happens.”
High-ranking Belarusian government officials, including Alexander Lukashenko, were banned from entering European countries after the 2006 presidential elections, which the West considered undemocratic. The sanctions were suspended for six months in October 2008 in response to the release of the last Belarusian political prisoners and positive changes in the conduct of parliamentary elections, which OSCE observers nevertheless considered not to fully comply with international standards.
Since then, the dialogue between Minsk and Brussels has been developing increasingly. In February, the first visit to the Belarusian capital in many years by a high-ranking European official, Secretary General of the EU Council Javier Solana, took place, who promised to further expand contacts with Belarus. True, European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner postponed her visit to Minsk, planned for March 12, for a month. There was no official explanation; experts believe that the European Union considered the steps taken by Minsk in the field of democratization and more obvious progress insufficient.
“The extension of the moratorium on sanctions was a predictable decision. The six months that have passed since their first suspension were not enough. Another nine months is an excellent time for the Belarusian authorities to take new steps, which will be carefully monitored by representatives of the European Union,” Belarusian human rights activist Elena Tonkacheva told Vremya Novostei.
“The EU’s decision is an attempt to encourage and stimulate the Belarusian leadership to continue the timidly planned course of liberalization,” Olga Abramova noted in an interview with our newspaper. She believes that in the context of the economic crisis, Minsk is interested in developing a dialogue with Brussels, since “Europe’s efforts to overcome the crisis can also benefit Belarus.”